Wrench set



I March 23 1926.

v 1'. A. BEMUS arm.

warmer ss'r Filed Sept. 8. 1922 Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

UNITED srArEs' I, 1,578,065 PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A, BEMUS, OE NORTHjEAST, PENNSYLVANIA,,AND EUGENE F. BICKFOBD ANDFRANK T. COFFIN, OF BOSTON, MIASSAGHUSETTS.

WRENCH snr.

Application filed September To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS A. BEMUS, a; citizen of the United States,residing at North East, in the county ofErie and State of Pennsylvania,and EUGENE F. Bionroin) and FRANK T. COFFIN, both citizens of the UnitedStates, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, respectively, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Wrench Sets, of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to wrench sets of that type wherein socketmembers of rious sizes. to fit corresponding sizes of nut and'bolt headsmay be fitted interchangeably to supporting and actuating memberscapable ofassembly in a variety of diflerent relationships.

For this purpose the present invention provides socket membersof varioussizes, a universal joint member, a ratchet member, and handle members,each provided with sockets to interchangeably receive any of a pluralityof connecting rod members, one of the handle members having a. socket toreceive the shank of the ratchet member. lVith these various parts agreat variety of connections may beeilected permitting ready access tobe had to bolts and nuts inaccessible to'ordinary tools.

F or a. more complete understanding of this invention, reference may behad to the accompanying drawings illustrating an em bodimentthereot inwhich Figure 1 is an elevation showing certain ot'the members arrangedfor assembly in various relations.

Figure 2 is an elevation ofthe ratchet member showing the manner bywhichits actuating direction of motion may be reversed.

Figure 3 is a perspective partly broken away of theratchet member, aconnecting rod and a socket member.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the universal joint as arranged for assemblywith certain other members. 4

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 ot-Figure 1.

Referring to Figure '1 at 1 is shown a handle men'iberhaving at one endpolygonal, preferably hexagonal, sockets 2 and 3 therein andintermediate its length a socket 4. The sockets 2 and 4 extend into thehandle member at right angles to its longitudinal parativelyshort.

gagement with a nut or bolt head.

8, 1922. Serial No. 586,955-'.

axiswhile the socket member '3 extends into ODGBllCl'lIl the axis, allthe sockets being-of the same shape and size. Arranged to [it withspring pressed balls 7 by which, these rods may be held frictionallywithin the sockets but may be detached therefrom readily when desired.Therocl 5 as. shown isot' considerable length, while the rod 6 is com-Rods of all required lengths and straight orangular, as maybe desired,maybe included with thisset.

At 10 is shown another handle member havingan axial socket in onee'nd at11 of the same shape and size as sockets 2', 3 and a, arranged to fitthe rods 5' and 6; The socket 11, as well as the other sockets forthereception ofthe connecting rods 5 and 6, are

preferably hexagonal so that thesesockets may fit over hexagonal nutsorbolt heads of the corresponding-si'ze. Theopposi te end of the handle10 is shown as provided with a socket 12 preferably hexagonal and or: adifferent size than thesocket 11- so as to over nuts or bolt heads ofadifferent size. The handle members 10 and 1 may, if do siredgbeassembled as indicated in full lines in Figure 1 with the handle 10extending "at" right anglesto thehandle 1, or if. desired, *be placedin'axial aline'inent with thememberl'inthe position shown in clotted.-lines.

As shown the connecting element 5. may haveplaced on its outer end acoupling memser 155 -ha-ving at its opposite ends, sockets 16identicalwiththe sockets 2, 3, 4, and 11 so as to it the-ends of thevariousconneeting rods.- As shown a connecting rod 17. is engagedin theopposite end of the coupling. 1.5 from the-rod 5, which rod in. turnengages a socket-similar to the socket '16 in a uniyersal joint member20. This universal jointmemher-may have a connecting has such as. the

short connecting bar 6 placed therein, or it may if desired, be providedwith an integral shank member corresponding insize and shape to such aconnecting bar. At 25. is shown one of the socket members foren- As.many of these socket members as desired may beused having various sizedsockets @262 (Figure 3) in one end for engagement with the bolts or nutheads. The opposite end of each socket nemher has a socke fitting theconnection rods 5, 16, 17, etc. When the parts are thus assembled, asshown in full lines in Figure l with the handle 10 at right angles tothe handle 1, a quick acting wrench with the handle 10 acting as acranak handle is provided. If the handle 10 is placed in alineme-nt withthe handle 1, it furnishes an extension by which an increased leveragefor turning the bolt or nut may be effected.

The end of the handle 1 opposite to the socket 3 is preferably boredout, as shown at 30 in Figure 5, and slots 31 are then broached thereinfor engagement with the shank of a ratchet member complementallyconstructed and shown at 35 in Figures 1, 2, and 3. This ratchet membermay be composed of a pair of plates or strips 36 placed face to face atone end to form a shank por tion 37 shaped to fit within the slots 31,the opposite ends of the plates 36 being spaced apart as shown at 38 toform a space for the reception of a ratchet wheel 39 havlng hubs 40journaled in alined openings 41 in the spaced portions of the plates.Pivoted on a pin or rivet 42 spanning the spaced portions of the plates36, are shown pawls 4.3 which engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 39to prevent rotation in one direction thereof. These pawls are urged intoen agement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel by means of a leaf spring4% bearing thereon at one end and seated at its other end in matingslots in adjacent faces of the plates 36 where they are in contact.

The ratchet wheel 39 is perforated to form an axially extending bore 45polygonal in shape and fitting any one of the connecting rods or bars 5,16, 17, etc. As shown in Figure 3 one of the short bars 6 is indicatedasbeing assembled therewith. Substantially centrally of its length thebore 45 on each of the polygonal faces is provided with a notch orgroove 46 within which either one of the spring balls 77 of theconnecting rod 6 may engage to hold the connecting rod frictionally inposition lengthwise in the bore. The connecting rod is slidable throughthe bore so that it may extend beyond either end of the ratchet wheel39, as shown more particularly in Figure 2, so that a socket member 25may be fixed thereto at either end of the ratchet wheel. This provides aconstruction by which the direction of posi tive rotation of the socketmember may be reversed as required. For example, when the socket member25 is placed on the left hand projecting end of the connecting rod asshown in full lines in Figure 2, the positive direction of rotation willbe to the right, that is, to tighten a nut on a right hand threadedscrew, or inwardly screw a right hand threaded bolt. Should theconnecting rod be pushed through the bore of the ratchet wheel to extendto the right, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, and the socketmember 25 be fitted to this extension, the direction of positiverotation .of the socket member will be such as to tighten a left handthreaded nut or bolt or loosen a right hand threaded nut or right handthreaded bolt. The shank of the ratchet member may be fitted either sideup in the slots 31 so that the socket member carried thereby may face inthe required direction relative to the handle member 1.

From the above description it will be evident that this inventionprovides a construction in which the socket members for. enga ing thenuts or bolt heads may be assembled with the handles, ratchet member,and universal joint member in a great variety of relationshipsonly a fewof which have been outlined above. lVith the great number ofcombinations permitted by this construction it is possible to reach nutsor bolts which might otherwise be inaccessible. This set is found to beparticularly advantageous for use in connection with auto vehicleswherein the parts are necessarily compactly arranged and where theclearances for tools are often times necessarily small. It is of courseevident that other tools besides socket wrenches might be used whereoccasion requires such tools having sockets to fit the connecting rods.

Having thus described an embodiment of this invention it should beevident that many changes and modifications might be made thereinwithout departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appendedclaim.

We claim:

In combination, a ratchet member com prising strips spaced apart at oneend and close together at their opposite end to form a shank, a ratchetwheel between said spaced ends and having hubs journaled in alinedopenings therein, a pawl for preventmg rotation in one direction of saidratchet wheel, said ratchet wheel having a polygonal openingtherethrough for engagement with a tool carrying bar projectable at willin opposite directions therefrom to reverse the positive direction ofrotation of a tool carriedby said bar, and a handle having a slot toreceive the shank of said member.

In testimony whereofwe have affixed our signatures.

THOMAS-A. BEuUs. EUGENE E. BIGKFORD. FRANK r. COFFIN.

